Letters to the Editor - Nov. 29

The fact that Eileen Roy was purposely passed over as vice chair for the School Board by her fellow board members demonstrates how unprofessional and childish they are.

In fact, I recommend that School Board member Tina Pinkoson, who has already held the position of vice chair, go back to kindergarten and learn how to share with others. The same goes for all of the other members who let this occur.

The members of the school board who oppose Roy are a disgrace for attempting to silence her by eschewing tradition and blocking her from serving as vice chair. They are acting like immature bullies - a stark contrast to the professionalism, intelligence, respect, compassion, and progressive values that Roy exhibits as a School Board member.

Horacio Sierra,Gainesville

Remembering Dr. Cade

During those heady years of campus unrest, I was UF President Steve O'Connnell's assistant. I recall the day the president put a file on my desk called "Gator Aid." It went on about how a Florida professor, Robert Cade, had concocted some elixir and was feeding it to the football team.

Coach Ray Graves was in the mix. The issue then was who owned the rights. There was speculation that Gator Aid, as it was then called, was ginned up on a NIH grant. Of course that was decided after years of litigation.

The public may not know that Dr. Cade was a prolific inventor. He and a colleague at IFAS invented an energy drink called "Gator Go." He also built and marketed a special cushioned helmet for football that, as I recall, was tested by the Dolphins. He once told me his plans to market a "hemispheric shoe polish can," which as it sounds, made it easier to scoop out the stuff instead of leaving some on the edges.

Only a genius could conjure up something so plain and radical. The man was special. And I say this with all respect, he always reminded me of Truman Capote. The guy was one of a kind.

Jim Beckham,Katy, Texas

Ron Cunningham is part of the problem

I completely agree with Ron Cunningham ("Death trap," 11-25) that 13th Street is dangerous for bicyclists, as are many of Gainesville's main roads. However, this is a problem for which Cunningham, as editorial page editor, is partly responsible.

For decades The Gainesville Sun has been the mouthpiece for unchecked growth and development in Gainesville. The paper has worked hard to support candidates for city and county offices who were against any regulation of growth, and stridently opposed candidates who favored managing growth so that our city did not become the transportation mess it has subsequently become.

I remember when The Sun called many of us "CAVE dwellers," for Citizens Against Virtually Everything, because we argued that unregulated growth would lead to problems like an overcrowded road system. The Sun preferred elected officials who would approve any and all development proposals. Elected officials who proposed ideas that would limit growth at all were called "terrible."

So excuse me if I am dismissive of Cunningham's complaint. It is beyond hypocritical. Besides, I seriously doubt The Sun will change its tune during the next election season. It will still be the shill for unchecked real estate development as it has been for the past two decades.

Colin Whitworth,Gainesville

The deadly difference between guns, pools

Bob Womack (Voice, 11-25) is puzzled by the fact that swimming pools and automobiles are not blamed for killing people, but that handguns are. The implication is that the poor, innocent handgun is getting a bad rap compared to the much more deadly other two.

What is he, recruiting for the National Rifle Association? Maybe he's targeting an audience ignorant enough to fall for such flawed logic.

Swimming pools are for swimming and playing in. Automobiles are for transportation. Neither exists for the sole purpose of killing living things.

Guns, however, do. There is no other purpose for a gun than to kill. It's the only thing manufactured and sold that, when used properly and as intended, results in death. Not even knives have no other use.

The same day Womack's letter appeared, a football fan visiting from Tallahassee was shot dead by someone using not a swimming pool and not a motor vehicle, but a handgun. The poor, innocent handgun was only doing what it was supposed to do.

I don't blame the gun. I blame the manufacturer, the purchaser and people like Womack who use such reasoning to make others feel good about becoming another handgun owner.

Wendy Wenner Busk,Gainesville

Help the hotel, now help the homeless

I would like to thank the Gainesville City Commission for the $802,000 contribution to build the Hampton Inn downtown. Now that the privileged have a place to stay downtown, perhaps commissioners will find it in their hearts to provide the funding for winter shelter for Gainesville's homeless, many of whom are children and veterans.

Pat Fitzpatrick,Gainesville

Kudos to Bryant, Braddy for their common sense

In response to The Sun's Nov. 24 editorial about Gainesville City Commissioners Rick Bryant and Ed Braddy: All I can say to the two commissioners is "Way to go." I agree with what they were saying in their e-mail.

In fact I'd like to take it a step further and suggest that instead of starting a "reality show" about who should interview the new GRU manager candidates, we should just fire all of the commissioners that we have except the mayor, since she is the only one that has anything to say. It's always a 4-3 vote, with the mayor convincing the other commissioners to vote with her. This way the taxpayers can save lots of money and we don't have to worry about elections any more.

I also believe that Braddy and Bryant have a great sense of humor, and sometimes the truth hurts. I often think that the "special interest group leaders" that the e-mails mentioned must be the experts, since that's who the majority of the commissions listen to anyway.

But most of all, thanks to Braddy and Bryant for all the hard work they both did to bring some common sense to the City Commission, even with a 4-3 vote. They are appreciated from many taxpayers, like myself, and both will be missed.